What REALLY Happened
by Nashi217
Summary: DISCONTINUED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. APOLOGIES GALORE. Set in their 7th year, this fic tells the REAL story, for how can Lily just suddenly fall for James? How can he suddenly change? The answer? Who knows? And he's scared, this is his last chance...
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: J.K Rowling is legendary, and I do not own any of her ideas, as much as I wish I did. I'm like the parasite that sits there taking all the credit…**_

**CHAPTER ONE**

On a scarlet steam engine preparing to depart, sat a young girl of seventeen, staring wistfully out of the window. Donned in black school robes, she looked every bit the perfect role model and angel every mother wanted their girl to grow up to be. Her hair was a deep auburn red and her eyes danced, vividly with multiple shades of green.

Whilst she was the girl every other girl dreamed of being, she was also the type of girl every boy dreamed of dating. One in particular. She was gorgeous and sweet, and there was simply no disputing that.

However… this 'sweetness' was only on face value. This girl, was a very different cup of tea underneath. Not quite a dash of milk and two sugars, she was more of a; hold the sugar and a shot of firewhiskey please. It was for this reason that the particular boy aforementioned had never once been successful in his attempts to woo her. Lily Evans, was cool, calm, collected, calculating, clever and… well conniving. She was as much of a fairy princess as a Cornish pixie was pleasant. Oh she was noble, kind, funny, very caring and if you got close to her, the best friend a person could have, but she refused to be patronized or degraded, and that was why James Potter, now watching her cautiously from outside the train was thinking _very_ carefully about how to make his next move.

James was starting to get desperate. And this was not a fact that a marauder liked to mention too often. In fact, it was more something that a marauder would avoid mentioning at all costs, but it had reached the point where James could no longer ignore it. This was his last year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and therefore his last year with the lovely Lily, and therefore… he'd better not screw it up. James looked down at his feet, a slight frown on his face as he considered this fact. His untidy, dark hair fell into his brown eyes as he tilted his head and shifted the position of his glasses on his nose. Suddenly, a high voice broke into his thoughts.

"Dreaming again Potter? Me too... I've been thinking about you aaaalll summer and I have to tell you, I can't control it anymore…" James frowned as he felt a small touch on his shoulder indicating that the speaker was right behind him. Trying desperately to place that unusually high and soft voice he started to turn to see who it was as they continued to speak in his ear. "I need you James, I want you James, I have to become Mrs Lily Pot-" at that James swung around triumphantly and slugged his best mate and fellow marauder Sirius Black hard in the stomach. This was no easy feat as he was already bent over and clutching his gut in tears of laughter. He continued to speak in a ridiculous falsetto in between boughts of laughter at James, "Oh Potter my love, you are as dumb as a dove, they say you are pretty, but not very witty, and that I can see, because you took me to be, your one and ooonllyyyy…" Black continued to serenade his best friend all the way back to their other friends and marauders, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. Peter was howling with laughter and Remus was chuckling quietly at the sight of _the _James Potter believing for a moment that Sirius Black's voice was that of his dream girl, Lily Evans; the red head still seated on the train.

When all the commotion had died down, Remus turned to James.

"Still dreaming then Prongs? I would have thought that perhaps seeing as it is your last year, you would have given up?"

"Or tried to get in as many other girls as you can, while you still can?" continued Black, lazily leaning against the door of the red steam engine and winked casually at a group of giggling girls walking past. James shrugged looking at his two friends, his face breaking into his unmistakable mischievous grin. "A marauder never gives up. You lot should know that by now! And there's always time for something else along the way." He added with a wink to Sirius who grinned an equally devilish grin back at James, and smoothed his hair back, surveying the scene before him. James knew that he was probably searching for a particularly pretty girl amongst the gigglers, and he smiled before shaking his head and looking at Lupin. Remus smiled back at his friend, knowing fully well that there would be no "something else along the way" for James. Whilst he bragged and strutted around being… well… James, he also took this thing with Lily Evans seriously and Remus knew that he would be feeling more than a little bit nervous about the year ahead.

A whistle sounded overhead and the boys moved their trunks onto the train hastily, not wanting to be left behind. Once they had found an empty compartment, they settled in for the ride.

Back towards the front of the train, Lily Evans shifted her legs to get comfortable and looked up as her three good friends entered the compartment. Sally, Kate and Alice placed themselves around Lily smiling.

"Ok, so what's this big news then little miss secretive? Said Kate matter-of-factly. She studied Lily with her dancing blue eyes, and flipped her long sand colored hair over her shoulder. Lily merely grinned at her and leaned back comfortably into her seat, as though to say "not telling."

Sally giggled and grinned at Lily, "Oh come on stubborn-bum! We've been looking for you everywhere to come and ask you! What's going on?" Sally was blessed with a pair of the darkest eyes, to match dark, long curls, but they didn't seem that dark or mysterious as she looked at Lily with excitement shining in them. Alice, with grey eyes and short brown hair grinned at Lily displaying identical dimples on each cheek. "Yeah, come on Lil!"

Laughing at her friends' persistence, she sat forward and showed them the small badge on the front of her robes. It read quite clearly, "HEAD GIRL."

There were simultaneous squeals of delight and congratulations as all three girls jumped on Lily showering her with hugs.

"I knew you'd get it!"

"I'm so proud of you!"

"I'm so using your new bathroom."

That last one was Kate, grinning broadly and laughing. "Everyone knows that the two heads get the best bathroom there is! I'm so jealous!" the other girls rolled their eyes but smiled all the same.

"Yes well, I'm sure that something can be arranged there." Said Lily wryly. She then broke out into a dazzling smile and cried excitedly, "I can't believe I actually did it! I'm actually Head Girl!" she laughed and fell back onto her seat grinning from ear to ear.

"Hey," said Kate abruptly. "Speaking of the two 'head_sss_." She continued pointedly, "who's head boy?!"

There was a slight pause and every trace of a smile fell instantly from Lily's face and was replaced by the unmistakable traits of her famous scowl reserved for one messy-haired boy only.

"Potter." She said, clearly annoyed and almost disbelieving. Sally turned to look out of the compartment door, "where?" she asked plainly. Kate rolled her eyes at Sally's obliviousness and turned back to Lily in earnest.

"Are you serious?" she asked.

"Deadly." Lily replied. Kate gasped and seemed incapable of talking.  
"Deadly for him." Alice stated.  
The girls gave words of comfort and sympathy that Lily accepted gratefully, but they didn't stop her from dwelling on that bespectacled boy, whom she had grown almost fond of hating, her past years at Hogwarts. It wasn't even the fact that James was a bully, or a bad person that bothered her, it was more the _way_ that he was. Always so arrogant and sure of himself. Sure that people would fall at his feet, sure that girls would adore him, and sure that if there was a God, he was it.

Lily despised him. She suspected that this was the reason that he went after her so much. Because she refused to give in, and be the giggling twit that so many other girls had become. Sometimes she thought it would be easier just to give in and have him leave her alone, but then everything would have to change completely, and she was so happy hating him in peace. Lily sighed and smiled weakly.

"Oh well, it's only one year. Plus, I'll have so much to keep me busy." Sally nodded encouragingly but Kate bit her lip.

"Just don't… kill him." She offered whilst Sally and Alice burst out laughing.

"No I'm serious!" She said loudly. "You two are going to have to share a common room, and a bathroom. You'll be spending a lot of time together just _living_ let alone all the meetings and-"

Lily swore and clapped a hand to her head.

"Meetings!" she exclaimed and ran out of the compartment to round up the prefects for the first gathering of the year.

Down the other end of the train, the four marauders were settled into their compartment and eating away at a large pile of sweets that the witch with the food trolley had provided them. Taking a large bite into a particularly jumpy chocolate frog, Sirius turned to his friends.

"So, what have we got planned this year in the way of pranks fellas? Shame we don't have another prefect amongst us, then we could do some serious damage to Slytherin." he stated, smirking around at them all and winking at Remus. James grinned.

"You know Padfoot, for someone who spent pretty much all summer at my house, you're rather slow." The other three boys looked at James in confusion, especially Sirius.

"What are you talking about?"

James grinned and breathed in deep, turning his back to the compartment door and facing them all. "I have some news that will greatly add to the power of the infamous marauders at Hogwarts." There was a dramatic pause, which was quickly and rather unceremoniously broken by Sirius,

"How does that make me thick?"

James rolled his eyes and continued. "Boys, look at this." With that he pulled out from his pocket a small badge not unlike the one Lily had just shown her friends and flicked it into the air, similar to the way one would flip a coin. Sirius and Peter scrabbled on the floor searching for the artifact, and when Sirius came up triumphant, there was a collective gasp and a low whistle from Lupin. James leaned back against the door and rested his hands behind his head grinning. Sirius realizing what the badge was, collapsed against his seat and looked at James, clearly impressed. With a short laugh he asked, "When on earth did you find time to do this?"

James raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"He's bloody gone and stolen the Head Boy badge!" Sirius exclaimed and reached out to show it to Remus, who was now chuckling quietly.

"Padfoot, you really are daft." Remus said as he took the badge from him. James sat up straight and spluttered in indignation, "_Stolen_ it! I didn't steal it! I bloody earned it! _I'm_ Head Boy you great prat!" Sirius stared at James in shock.

"Are you serious?"

"No you are."

Sirius scoffed at the joke towards his name. James allowed himself a smirk before continuing.

"Yes Padfoot I am actually. Deadly serious." James continued. "And you didn't notice all summer."

Sirius grinned and clapped his hand on the back of his best mate in congratulations. There were a few more moments of celebration and then Peter raised his voice in question, "Who's Head Girl?"

At this, James resumed his position leaning against the door and grinning devilishly. "The one and only Wormtail. The beautiful and bold, the charming and cheerful, the clever and-"

"Creepy?" interjected Sirius. James chose to ignore him and continued,

"My very own Head Girl, Miss Lily-"

"Evans!" Sirius exclaimed, looking just above James' head. James looked at him for a second in confusion. "How did y-" he was cut off by the door behind him being opened roughly, causing James to fall flat on his back in the middle of the carriage. He swore loudly and then blinked a few times before realizing who was standing over him, wearing a look that could kill. His hand instantly flew to his hair as he sat up and smiled charmingly.

"Why, Evans! How lovely to see you!" he said as he winked at her. Lily Evans scowled and placed a hand on her hip, tossing her red hair over her shoulder.

"Get up Potter. You look ridiculous. And you're late."

James grinned and pulled himself off the floor. Sirius and Peter snorted loudly behind their hands and a smile played on Lupin's lips as he slid a book up to cover his face.

"Late?" he asked once he was standing once again. He leaned against the door of their compartment casually and tousled his hair. Lily rolled her eyes and her scowl proceeded to grow even more dangerous. "Prefect meeting? Ring any bells?" she hissed. A flicker of realization passed over James' face. Remus chuckled and stood up. "I was just on my way Lily." He said to the fiery red head now staring daggers at James. She turned to him and smiled sweetly, "Oh no Remus, you don't have to worry. The heads are meant to round up the prefects this year. It was in the letter we got." Her eyes flicked dangerously to James who smiled weakly and kicked Sirius who had started to whistle a tune that sounded rather like "Potter my love…" his earlier serenade.

Lily sighed and turned on her heel. "Meet me in the first compartment in five minutes please." She said as she walked off. Sirius clapped James on the back. "Smooth." He said approvingly. Remus chuckled. "Come on James." They both followed Lily towards the front of the train, leaving Sirius and Peter whistling "Potter my love" in between snorts of laughter.

Lily stormed off towards the compartment that held all the other prefects in the school, whilst pondering on the ringing laughter of the marauders in her ears. This was the last year that she would ever have to deal with them, she reminded herself, but there was still the matter of actually having to complete the year first. And of course, Kate was right. She would be spending a lot of time with Potter. Sighing she walked into the compartment that she'd arranged for the meeting to be in, and took her place amongst the other prefects and leaders of the school.

"Ok, so welcome everyone." She began as Potter and Lupin sat down, having arrived just behind her.

"This year at Hogwarts we intend on doing things a little differently, and relying on students a lot more to provide us with the information that we need in order to make our school the right place for all of-"

"We?" interrupted James. Lily looked at him.

"Yes Potter, _we_." There were several chuckles around the room as James looked at her, and retorted. "What _we_ would that be Miss Evans? I was under the impression that the heads _together_ as a _team_ were to decide the on-goings of the year ahead. And _I've _heard nothing of this."

Lily looked at him and replied without hesitation.

"Well they are, but seeing as you've obviously done nothing, and couldn't even remember that you had a meeting this morning, I took control." She paused and looked at him. "Sorry." She added sweetly, as an after thought. James looked around him as though to find some support.

"So then how is it a 'we', shouldn't it be an 'I'? Or to be more specific, a 'you'?" Lily paused as though to consider this thought.

"I suppose so." She continued without so much of a glance at James.

"So in that case, _I_ have decided that we should run the school this way. This means that students can offer suggestions at any time and they must be considered by the overall student leadership team and voted on." She stopped and looked around at them all. Frank Longbottom spoke up from the back of the room, "I think that's an excellent idea Lily."

James stood and started spluttering, "But hang on, that means I get absolutely no say at all! As Head Boy, I demand that-"

Lily held up her hand and spoke over him. "You really must learn to listen James. Or do you not understand the concepts that I'm suggesting? _Every_ student has a say. That's exactly the point. You can suggest whatever you want and then we all have to vote on it." There was a pause in which Remus hid a smile and turned to his fellow marauder. "So do you have something to suggest Prongs?" James glared at him, "Actually I do. I suggest we vote on this proposal." Lily smiled to herself and looked at the other prefects. "As you wish Potter. All in favor?" Nearly everyone's hand went into the air. "All against?" James shot his arm up so fast he nearly knocked Remus out. Lily grinned and looked around. "Over-ruled." She winked at him sarcastically and then turned to complete the meeting.

James slumped back in his chair crossing his arms and inwardly swearing that Lupin would never hear the end of this. His mind skipped over thousands of threats and punishments that could possibly be appropriate as he watched Lily talk. She absentmindedly flicked a strand of hair behind her head as she gestured to enhance the effect of whatever she was saying (James had stopped listening long ago) and the sunlight caught it magnificently, making it glow and shine like rubies. His breath caught in his throat as he looked at her. Her eyes were alive as she spoke animatedly about all the plans that she had devised for this year, and James felt a pang of guilt when he thought about all the effort he had put in, which was so far non-existent. He let his mind slip again to the wink that she had given him a few seconds earlier, and he felt a grin creep up onto his face as he remembered the way that her eyes had lit up when he had interrupted her. Admittedly, they had only done so out of frustration, but James still loved it. If only she would wink at him and have her eyes light up in a different way. A flirtatious way, he sighed loudly as he thought about how magnificent that would be. Unfortunately that was the wrong thing to do, because everyone had heard him. Including the girl he was dreaming about.

"Yes Potter?" she asked, turning to him. Her eyes flashed dangerously and James felt his stomach take a jolt.

"Uh… I was just thinking… how wonderful all this is..." he glanced around at the room to see if that had been the right thing to say. Frank Longbottom and Remus were both looking very determinedly at their feet and shaking with laughter. _Uh oh_... James thought as he reluctantly turned to face Lily again. She was furious. "Oh, wonderful is it Potter? Wonderful that student co-operation has been gradually slipping below standards for years now? Is that wonderful? Wonderful that in our lifetime at Hogwarts bullying has reached an all-time high?! No thanks to you I'm sure!" James shrugged.

"Well if they'd stop letting in idiots like Snivellus then maybe that wouldn't be the case." There was an instant hush. The two Slytherin seventh year prefects scowled and stood up suddenly. Lily, seeming to notice before being able to retaliate herself quickly said, "The patrol roster will be posted tomorrow night outside the Great Hall and we'll continue this meeting at a later date. Please ensure all students are fully dressed in robes before the train arrives at Hogsmeade. That is all." The other students quickly stood up and the two Slytherins were lost in the hurry to leave the compartment, and they seemed to have agreed to postpone their disagreement with James until a later time. Remus stood up with a grave look on his face, "C'mon Prongs" he said. Lily placed a hand on Remus' arm. "If you wouldn't mind Remus, I'd like a word with the Head Boy." Her voice was low and she didn't look at him. "In private." She added quietly. Lupin watched her for a moment, and then decided that he would prefer not to witness the explosion, muttering to James about seeing him later.

When everyone had left, Lily turned to James furiously. "Do you even understand what you just did Potter?" she said in a deadly soft voice.

"Gave a few Slytherins what was coming to them and their slimy friends?"

A strangled cry came from Lily's throat and she stormed over to where James was now standing. "You've just ruined our first student leadership meeting. This is meant to be _the_ year Potter! The year that everything changes around here and we finally get some good things happening in this school. I've worked so hard for this Potter! Dumbledore has been trying for years now, but due to lack of student co-operation as I mentioned before when you were apparently not with us, nothing has happened!" she paused for breath and James looked down into her eyes that were flashing violently in his direction. They were so close, and he felt the sudden urge to lean down and kiss her. Struggling to hold back he said, "Evans, it's not the end of the world you know." Apparently this was the wrong thing to say however, because she only glared at him harder. He quickly back-tracked, "And uh… I promise that I can redeem myself?" she paused and fumed for a second quietly. James watched her and tried very hard not to focus on the fact that when her eyes glittered like that, they stood out more than usual, and that when she shook her head at him, her auburn curls cascaded down her back gracefully, enticing him to run his fingers through them and hold her face gently. She sighed and looked up at him as though he were a lost cause. "Fine. But be warned, this isn't so much of a 'second chance' as it is a, 'I can't be bothered dealing with you right now' so you'd better pick up your game Potter. Or I might just try out a new hex I discovered this summer, and put it on the door to your bedroom." James grinned at her cheekily (to which she responded with a sarcastic smile) and couldn't believe his luck. They both left the compartment together, James breathing in deeply the sweet smell of her perfume as he remembered the way she tossed her head, and he sauntered off to find his friends.

**Author's Notes:**** Ok so this is the first time that I've uploaded anything on here, and I'm sitting here biting my nails in anticipation hoping that people will actually read it. **

**Please let me know what you think, I have many plans for this fic, so I need to know right away if it's boring, or too much like others (although I promise it wont be for long. Lily's character is going to be different to how she's usually portrayed, and there will be scandals. Because quite simply, I cant live without them!) I'm most of the way through Chapter 2 already, and so far going strong. By the way, it is rated M for a reason, I just haven't written that reason yet because we are only in Chapter 1, but it's coming, so if you aren't mature enough to handle something that's 'M', possibly this wont grow to be a fic for you.**

**And now that I've pretty much written another chapter in Author's Notes, I'll head off.**

**R & R please!**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: J.K Rowling is the multi-million dollar mansion, and I'm a pebble on the garden path… trying lamely to belong.**_

**CHAPTER TWO**

Once the train had arrived at Hogsmeade and the students had disembarked and made their way up to the magnificent castle that was Hogwarts, the beginning of term feast was due to be had. This feast was known for its excellent food, fantastic service (due to the wonderful house elves of Hogwarts) and (if you were of age) the mulled goblin wine that was simply to die for. It was because of these commonly known facts about the feast, that the many students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry sat rather impatiently in the great hall, staring hungrily at their empty plates.

After a few moments of idyll chatter, Professor McGonagall walked briskly into the hall carrying a stool and a rather rugged old hat. She was followed quite nervously by a group of small children crowded closely together and looking around themselves with wide eyes. These were the first years. Lily smiled encouragingly at them as they walked past her and a few of them tried to smile weakly back.

* * *

Up the other end of the table, James and Sirius were 'high-five-ing' any of the first years that were bold enough to accept their outstretched hands as they walked past. Whenever one of the two marauders got a particularly loud slap, the other cheered and whooped loudly, clapping the small child on the back. Some of the children seemed far too terrified of the boys, but others grinned at them. Many seventh year gryffindors were laughing at the new head-boy and his best mate, yet when Lily looked up to see what the commotion was, her eyes turned immediately to ice, and she seemed to be positively fuming. Remus, sitting beside his two friends noticed this, and poked Sirius hard in the ribs, indicating with a nod of his head, the furious girl at the other end of the table. Interrupting the complicated hand shake James was trying to show a terrified, small boy, Sirius pointed to Lily with a rather large smirk plastered on his face. James looked up into Lily's icy stare the same time that Sirius whispered "Mrs. Potter looks pissed Prongs, better watch out!" Remus hissed furiously that the reason he poked Sirius was not so that he could make fun of Lily, but James didn't hear him. He was too busy watching Lily's lips purse and her eyes bore into him. He wasn't sure what he felt at this point in time… whether it was excitement that she was looking at him, or guilt that she was looking at him in that way. He turned and grinned at the first year whose hand he was still grasping. "Good luck mate." He said with a wink and then sat around properly at the table, only giving small high fives to some of the first years now, and much more subdued than his previous ones. He turned his head to catch Lily's eye across the table, giving her a look that said, "Is that better?" Lily glanced with only the slightest disapproval at the high fives he was still giving the first years and looked away, rolling her eyes although the corners of her mouth tilted just slightly upwards in the smallest trace of a smile.

Sirius turned back sulkily to Lupin, muttering briefly about ruining his fun. James paid no attention though, he was staring at his plate, his eyes out of focus. He couldn't get the image of Lily's half-smile out of his head. And he grinned to himself as he thought how much more positive the beginning of this year was so far.

* * *

As the sorting took place, Lily fidgeted with the edge of her robes. Although she didn't want to admit it to anyone, she was ridiculously nervous about this year. She had tried so hard, through all her schooling life to set a good example and be the model student, and now all her hard work had finally paid off. It was her year to really shine, and be a leader, and she couldn't wait. She looked up at Dumbledore as he spoke to the student body. She admired him so much, and wanted to earn his respect, even though she knew he already held her in high esteem. The sorting ended and food appeared on the plates at that moment however, and Lily was distracted from these thoughts as she helped herself generously to mountains of wonderful house elf cooking, along with her fellow students.

* * *

Dumbledore sat calmly in his place at the teacher's table and looked out at all his students. Hogwarts never felt right unless chatter bounced off the walls and feet pounded along the stairs. His eyes rested for a moment on each house table, lingering briefly on Gryffindor. A sudden spark appeared in his eyes as and the corners of his mouth twitched as he watched Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew, who were in the middle of a serious competition. Who could fit more potatoes in their mouth, and who could do it the fastest? Dumbledore chuckled quietly to himself as Lily Evans stormed over and began to scold Black quite vehemently whilst Pettigrew frantically swallowed as much as he could before she could turn to him, his eyes watering. Black merely sat there meekly staring up at Lily, his cheeks bulging, and the unmistakable traits of a grin creeping onto his face. Dumbledore shook his head in amusement as he then watched James Potter trying extremely hard not to laugh hysterically as he had been doing only minutes earlier. As the headmaster watched, James discreetly shoved the parchment upon which he had previously been keeping score, away from the eyes of the Head Girl now berating Pettigrew, and adopted a serious and disapproving appearance, although his eyes gave him away, as they shined with mirth, and danced over Lily's impassioned form. Returning to his meal once more, Dumbledore smiled to himself, satisfied. Yes, it was going to be a good year. Interesting, but good.

* * *

After the feast had concluded (during which there had been far too many potatoes, Lily thought) the prefects took the students away and the two Heads were called up to the teacher's table, where their Headmaster stood waiting. Dumbledore smiled warmly down at them both before speaking. "The other Professors and I believe that this year, Hogwarts will be strong. We have something this year that makes us this way, and it is something that many schools and organizations seldom get." At this he paused and regarded them fondly with pride, "Two fantastic leaders that individually are incredible, and put together make an even more amazing team. And I know that we are all very excited for what this year and your leadership will bring. Yet now I believe that there is nothing that anyone can do without a good night's sleep." With that, Dumbledore turned and clicked his fingers three times. Two house elves appeared at his side immediately, wearing the tell-tale Hogwarts uniform of a tea towel imprinted with the school crest upon it. The only thing different about these two elves, the Heads each noticed, was that they had two letters printed next to the crest: "H.E". Lily and James smiled at the elves as Dumbledore explained, "These are the Head Elves. They will cater for your needs when you are in the Head's dormitories, which is where they will lead you now. Miss Evans, this is Fifi." He indicated with a wave of his hand and a warm smile, the little elf on his left (who had turned red with all the attention). "She will look after you personally, and Mr. Potter, this is Nicnac. He will take care of you." Dumbledore smiled at the other elf who was grinning happily up at them all. James beamed and leant forward, warmly shaking him by the hand, who meekly reached forward and returned the gesture, blushing as well. "Very nice to meet you, sir!" he squeaked. Fifi curtsied and smiled up at Lily who grinned back at her amiably.

"Good luck to the both of you, and good night."

* * *

Five or so minutes later, the two Heads who had proven themselves to be very mature in front of their Headmaster, and upon whom, (according to said Headmaster) the hopes of the school staff rested on, were having yet another decidedly _immature_ disagreement. Lily was becoming more and more frustrated with the situation as it progressed. She had been so adamant about being mature this year, especially after the discussion with Dumbledore, and yet here she was getting red in the face, shouting nonsensical words at the one and only James Potter.

"'Gobbledygook' makes much more sense Potter!"

"Nope. I refuse to give in. 'James-is-a-sexy-beast' is the only way to go."

Lily exhaled vehemently and exclaimed in raised tones, "I absolutely will _not_ say that every time I enter my own dorm!"

At this point the two house elves and the four Hogwarts founders in the painting on the door they were standing in front of all sniggered loudly. James grinned, crossed his arms after tousling his hair and leaned casually on the stone wall, observing the infuriated red head in front of him.

They were of course, arguing about the password for their shared dormitory. Lily was opting for something obscure that no one would guess, and therefore they would be safer from intrusions, whereas James was simply opting for something he wanted to hear Lily say.

James looked down at Lily and took a step towards her, feeling his stomach do flip-flops as her vivid green eyes glanced briefly at his lips as he opened them to speak.

"Fine, what about something without my name in it?" he asked, a mischievous twinkle appearing in his eyes as he stood there knowing (and loving) already what her reaction would be to his next suggestion. Lily looked up at him suspiciously whilst crossing her arms and stepping away from him, now that he was quite close. James continued, "What about, 'I'm-a-real-prude-with-the-hots-for-the-head-boy'?" Lily's eyes widened and her mouth opened in shock before they quickly narrowed again in a killer glare. "Apart from anything Potter, that is far too long for a password anyway." She hissed softly between clenched teeth, amidst the snorts coming from the painting behind them. James chuckled and shrugged, "Fair enough. A compromise then? A combination?" Lily looked at him and then at her watch tiredly, before sighing and cautiously saying, "Well I suppose that might be ok, but only if…"

Without waiting for her to state the conditions James interrupted her and turned to the painting. "Noble founders of Hogwarts, we as the Head Boy and Girl have agreed that our new password will be 'Gobbledy-sexy-beasts.'"

Having spoken the magic words (excuse the irony) the door swung open whilst the founders howled with laughter and the house elves giggled with glee as they skipped off to the kitchen. James smirked as he stepped inside, after winking at Lily and messing up his hair, his insides filled with butterflies at the way he had successfully made her eyes flare up again, just like on the train. Lily stood in shock and fury in the doorway, realizing that now whenever she had to enter her dorm she would be forced to say, "Gobbledy-sexy-beasts."

_Oh the things I'd like to do to James Potter_, she thought viciously, as she begrudgingly stepped into her new home.

* * *

**Author's Notes: ****Sorry about the slight wait, and the fact that this Chapter is not quite as long as the last. I've been madly busy, but once again the creative juices are flowing and hopefully you guys will get a quicker update for Chapter Three.**

**I've been working on a couple of one-shots as well, so keep your eyes peeled for them if you're into that sort of thing.**

**Once again, let me know what you think, and thanks so much for reading! **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

_**Disclaimer: J.K Rowling is the library, I'm the plaque outside that nobody reads.**_

**Chapter Three**

Lily Evans' friend Kate Andrews was not often right, but there was one proclamation that she happened to have made in their first few weeks as seventh years that was undeniably true. "Oh Lily, your dorm is just the BEST!"

And she was right. The heads' dorms at Hogwarts were known to be some of the best, and Lily had decided after a week of residing in them that she whole-heartedly agreed. They really were, 'the BEST.' The carpets and rugs in the common room were so plush and rich that the room felt cosy and comfortable all the time, despite the fact that it was positively huge. The bathroom was every bit as fantastic as Kate's ravings and predictions, as it was well equipped with a giant spa bath, marble walls, white gold trimmings and a shower with a head as large as a dinner plate. The first time Lily stood under it, she felt as though she were under a waterfall, and it was magnificent. The bedrooms were almost a whole different story in themselves. Both students had their own bedroom, each with a king size bed, sporting a large wooden bed frame and a bedspread the colours of their house (in this case, both being Gryffindor). Lily's mother had made her, as a gift for being granted head girl, a beautiful cashmere blanket that was cream with emerald flecks, and Lily had been delighted to discover when unpacking, that it matched the scarlet and gold theme brilliantly.

However, the thing that delighted her the most about her new home, was the surprise that James unearthed on their second day. He had discovered in earlier that morning whilst exploring, and within thirty seconds of looking at it, knew that he had to show Lily, if only to see the smile on her face. Eagerly, and despite Lily's many protests and vehement exclamations, James insisted that Lily close her eyes and he led her to a small, slightly hidden door to the left of the awe inspiring fireplace in their common room. He opened it wide and watched Lily's face with quiet anticipation as her own eyes and mouth followed suit. It was a truly huge, and very impressive library. There were thousands upon thousands of books lining every wall, with sliding ladders to help obtain them. Two tall and well placed windows gave the room the most amazing views of the Hogwarts grounds, and the rays of sunlight that shone through them bathed the shelves in a clean and crisp luminescence. Lily's hands flew to her mouth as she gasped in happiness. "Oh James" she breathed. Some may consider this as a bit extreme for a room that was simply filled with books, but to Lily this was not only a place where she could fulfill her bookworm cravings, but also a place where she could go if she ever needed her own quiet time, or space. It was a haven, and a sanctuary.

James grinned and stuck his hands in his pockets as he watched Lily inspecting the shelves. He mentally congratulated himself on a job well done, and his heart soared as Lily looked at him, a radiant smile shining his way. "Potter, isn't this just fantastic! We'll be living like kings!" she laughed.

James' grin widened. "Well I will be. You'll be living as my Queen I hope, as we cant the both of us be kings… that would be just too confusing. Besides, you know you'd look so fantastic in my arms Evans." Lily's smile faltered as she looked at him with one eyebrow raised, and then it disappeared altogether as she sighed in frustration and rolled her eyes. "Oh James." She said again but in a _very_ different tone, "Pull your head in from outside will you?" she asked as she turned and walked back into the common room, holding a book to her chest. "Your ego has gotten so big it's expanded and forced your head outside and up into the clouds."

James chuckled quietly as he watched her retreating back. He rubbed his hands together and sighed. She always knew the right things to say to get him all riled up.

The complexities and mishaps that always occurred during the first few weeks of term were well into their third week before anything remarkable happened at Hogwarts. Despite some minor spats between the two heads, and several unsuccessful propositions on James' behalf, things were going relatively smoothly. That was, until one day, at about four in the afternoon, when both Lily and James were called to the headmaster's office.

Lily stood leaning up against the stone gargoyle waiting ­_im_patiently for James to arrive. He was late. He was always late. The book she was absentmindedly flipping through to keep her mind occupied was not doing the trick and she found herself becoming more and more irritated, and she began to dwell on the horrible yet delightful things she could do to James in order to punish him. She was just working through a particularly fantastic fantasy of seeing James as a toad when the one and only popped up right in front of her. Lily scowled.

"You're late." It wasn't a question.

"Well…yeah." It wasn't an answer. It was also accompanied by a very charismatic smirk.

"James, this is _Dumbledore_ we're talking about here. You can't just be late for Dumbledore!" she closed the book with a loud snap and looked at him in exasperation. His hand flew to his already well-tousled hair and roughed it up some more. Lily felt much more than a flicker of irritation pass through her as she watched him. The past week had seen more than a few of these little disputes take place, and Lily was almost ready for a real chance to have a go at him, but as usual, he was only just annoying enough to really get her worked up, but not quite unruly enough to merit her yelling at him until she was black and blue. This in between business bothered Lily more than she would let anyone know, and on the inside she was seething. She was more furious at herself than anyone else, for letting Potter get her all annoyed like this, but James was standing in front of her and that goofy grin really did need to be wiped off his face.

James tilted his head slightly as he studied the red-head before him. She was fuming and he knew that she was on the verge of exploding. He'd been waiting for this all week. Despite Remus' advice that annoying Lily was not going to put James in her good books, he simply couldn't help himself. He loved seeing her eyes light up, and he loved that for the few seconds where she really let loose on him, he was the only thing on her mind, and the only person that she cared about. Even if it wasn't exactly positive caring. Lily stood before him shaking her head and watching him nervously tousle his hair and grin at her. He followed her eyes as they flitted from his hair to his face and back again. After a few moments of tense silence, she exhaled loudly and snapped,

"Oh for Merlin's sake Potter! It's not the bloody Witch Weekly bachelor of the year awards, stop messing with your stupid hair!"

It seemed that was all the lovely Miss Evans was capable of as she chose that moment to turn and practically shout "fizzing whiz-bee" at the gargoyle which promptly jumped aside for her. James smirked and his hand fell to his side. He knew that there was far more bubbling below the surface waiting to come out, he just had to push her one more time…

Unfortunately for Lily, that push came only ten minutes later.

**A.N: ****Ok guys, here it comes… the massive apology…**

**I AM WORTHLESS AND YOU CAN ALL HATE ME FORVER FOR NEVER UPDATING!**

**I'm really, really sorry about the lack of update, but well… here one is, and although it's short, it is here. I did write a oneshot in the mean time that possibly some of you have read, so I have been busy.**

**Anyway, enough excuses. I hope you enjoyed, and I intend to have more Marauder action in the next chapters, including possibly a "Potter my Love" sequel, as it seemed to be such a hit. ******** Let me know if that's a good idea!**

**Happy reading! **

**-Nashi**


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